SOUTH BEND – The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office has requested the Indiana State Police investigate an officer-involved shooting that occurred in South Bend, IN.
The Indiana State Police continued to gather evidence well into the morning. The deceased male has been identified as Joshua Ringle, 32 of South Bend, IN. A female passenger in the Kia was not injured or arrested.
The Michigan State Police were involved in a vehicle pursuit of a red Kia that began from a traffic stop in Niles, MI, at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 19.
The pursuit entered Indiana as the Kia fled south on Indiana 933, with multiple jurisdictions becoming involved in the pursuit.
The pursuit ultimately entered South Bend. Near the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Marion Street, the Kia struck a South Bend Police Department vehicle that was deploying stop sticks to de-escalate the pursuit.
After striking the South Bend Police Department vehicle, the male driver fled on foot southeast towards the river and shots were fired. A Michigan State Trooper in his police vehicle pursued the suspect while he fled on foot. The police vehicle went partially over the embankment, striking a tree.
A search for the male driver began and involved multiple officers from different agencies. The suspect was ultimately found deceased at the bottom of an embankment near the river.
An autopsy will be performed on the deceased male at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI on Friday, July 21.
At the conclusion of this investigation, all information will be turned over to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office for review. There is no other information to release at this time.
